RSM and The King’s Fund: key takeaways from the digital health and care conference

We were delighted to collaborate with The King’s Fund at their annual digital health and care conference on 17 July 2024. Our business transformation expert, Mohi Khan, joined a panel of peers, experts and clinicians in the NHS and private sector on supporting sustainable digital transformation in health and care. Mohi summarises some of the key themes raised throughout the conference and explores how the NHS can build on its current progress. 

It was fantastic to meet so many dedicated people who work in the NHS and wider healthcare sector. During the conference, we heard many inspiring success stories shared which generated a palpable sense of optimism about the art of the possible. 

With a new government indicating greater prioritisation of digital transformation in our healthcare system, we look forward to seeing what positive changes can be made for the benefit of patients and the workforce.

There is now a chance to build on the great work to date from people throughout our NHS and interconnected healthcare ecosystem. Let’s take a closer look at how that can be achieved.

In our work across the private and public sector, we’ve found that for organisations to deliver successful and sustainable transformation, a few common factors are involved.

The role of leadership in the healthcare industry

For any digital innovation being implemented within an organisation, leaders need to establish a clear strategy, vision, purpose and a set of measurable outcomes.

Leadership should be supportive, both in terms of providing sufficient and sustained investment, and in allowing time for stakeholders, including patients, clinicians and staff, to engage with and understand the benefits of the innovation. 

It’s important to strike the right balance between control and empowering staff to look for solutions. We have seen this work well when organisations create a safe space for staff to experiment, learn from what others have done and build on their knowledge of systems within and outside their organisation.

Collaboration

We can learn from the collective experience within the NHS and should also be open to learning from organisations outside the NHS. 

Greater collaboration, breaking down silos and building relationships both internally and externally, can enable successful change and the development of new solutions designed around stakeholder needs. 

Conference participants highlighted examples of successful innovation projects that involved collaboration across departments and functions within the NHS, as well as with other organisations such as social and health care charities, care homes and local authorities.

Culture 

For innovation to succeed, it’s important to recognise that some use cases may go wrong. This means moving away from a blame culture to a culture that supports learning, adaptation and change.

This approach can help to avoid redesigning what’s already there and to rethink the purpose and outcomes of what you’re trying to achieve, redefining the way you work and removing legacy processes you no longer need.

Engaging all stakeholders in the process

Successful change management requires the engagement of all stakeholders, mapping out their needs and experiences from the outset. This includes patients, clinicians and staff. 

For patients, it’s also important to bridge the digital divide while still ensuring there are inclusive ways for patients to interact, such as offering non-digital options.

For frontline staff and clinicians, the innovation process should aim to simplify their work, reduce administrative burdens, and allow more time for delivering care. This will also help to reduce attrition and address burnout issues. 

Cyber security

With the increasing volume of digitally shared data and NHS England’s stated intention to use the NHS app to capture and harness patient data, there is a clear need to build sufficient cyber security and resilience to avoid attacks that could impact patient care and safety.

It’s essential to map out your third parties and collaboration partners, as we are increasingly seeing cyber-attacks throughout the delivery chain.

How we can help your healthcare or life sciences organisation

At RSM, we work with healthcare and life sciences organisations on their transformation journey. Our team of experts are here to support you with your transformation projects, providing hands-on practical experience and support across people and HR, IT and processes, data and finance, transactions, and business and operations.

To discuss the business transformation needs of your healthcare organisation, please contact Mohi Khan, Joel Segal or your usual RSM contact.